United in Death
by lostinanotherworld24
Summary: "If this is the final message of Bravo, we would just like to say we love you to our families." It turns out magic isn't real; there are some things even Bravo can't survive.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave me a review and let me know if you'd like to see a second chapter to this!

"Alpha One, be advised, we have lost contact with all members of Bravo, both on comms and ISR. This may be a retrieval, and not a rescue."

"Copy that."

Jensen Morgan glanced briefly at his men, nodding once, before they pushed forward into the house where Bravo had last made contact. Ever vigilant, they cleared the whole house before returning to the living room. Nobody was to be found, neither tango nor sailor, though there was clear evidence of a gunfight.

"Morgan! I found them. Oh god, it's bad," Alpha Three called through the comms. Recognizing the sound of pure grief and horror in his subordinate's voice, Jensen made quick work of getting to the back. He'd seen terrible, awful, inexplicable things before, but nothing could have prepared him for this. The members of Bravo lay scattered across the field that backed up to the house. Even though the reality is plain, he still forced himself to check each body for a pulse.

"Havoc Base, this is Alpha One. We have six fallen eagles. I repeat, all ground elements of Bravo have fallen. They're gone."

Xxxx

Eric dipped his head low at hearing that, the enormity of grief rising up to consume him wholly. He'd lost men before, had even lost an entire unit in the case of Echo Team, but Bravo had been different. They were SEALs through and through, dedicated to each other, to the greater purpose, and to their missions. Their loss would be a bitter thing to choke down.

"Thank you, Alpha One. QRF is inbound."

Around him, activity had ceased entirely. Davis fled suddenly, a blur of motion against a still world. Mandy sank into a chair, and pressed her face into her hands. Other support personnel appeared stunned; many hadn't been around when Echo was lost. Eric wished for that same innocence. He allowed himself a moment more, and then straightened his shoulders and exited the room.

Xxxx

Softly, he knocked against Commander Harrington's door, entering upon hearing the brusque invitation to come in.

"Sir, at oh-six-hundred hours Alpha Unit deployed in an attempt to rescue elements of Bravo Unit under attack. They were unsuccessful; their rescue became a retrieval. It appears all six members of Bravo were killed in action"

Commander Harrington's face paled, almost to the color of snow. Heavily, he dropped a pen clutched between two of his fingers, and whispered a mild curse.

"I'll have notification units deployed," he wearily assured Eric. "Damn but they were good."

"The best of us don't come home," Eric reminded the older man. "I think that's never held more true than today."

"That is most certainly true. God help us all."

Xxxx

"Based on wound pattern, blood spatters, and location of bodies, we believe we have a pretty good idea of the events and the order in which Bravo team was killed," the young lackey opened, flicking to a satellite photo of the field. A week had passed since their bodies were retrieved, and nothing had gotten easier. The funerals were scheduled for the following days.

"We estimate that Master Chief Hayes was killed first based on his liver temperature; additionally, he was found closest to the door, which we've taken to mean that he was the last one out," a picture of Jason's corpse appeared next on the screen.

"Next Senior Chief Petty Officer Perry and Petty Officer Reynolds were dispatched, along with K9 unit Cerberus. It appears that Cereberus was killed first, and Reynolds was in fact attempting to rescue him when he took fire. Perry had escaped, and turned back to rescue Reyonlds, based on where he fell," the images shifted to ones of Cereberus, Brock, and Ray. Eric swallowed hard, and forced himself to quell the waves of emotion swelling within him

"Petty Officer Sawyer was located in the middle of the field, it appears that he was attempting to render aid to the wounded."

"Lastly, we found Petty Officers Quinn and Spenser. Spenser had previously taken a bullet, and we estimate that Quinn tried to haul him to safety, based on drag marks we found. It appears that Quinn was hit from the back, while he was dragging Spenser away. If not for that, there is a high possibility that Quinn could have gotten away relatively unharmed."

"We have obtained recordings from the comms unit, although they were not transmitted to Havoc Base."

"_Jason, they're overwhelming us, we got to go," Ray Perry urged his leader. _

"_All Bravo elements, prepare to re-," the sound of gunshots, and a body hitting the ground. _

_Next, a yelp, and more gunshots._

"_Cerberus, no!" _

"_Brock, c'mon man, we gotta go. There's nothing you can do for him now." _

_More thuds, more gunshots. _

"_Sonny, I'm hit. Go! Save yourself man." _

"_Not without you." _

"_Sonny..is there anyone left?," Spenser queried, sounding as if he was on the verge of tears._

"_I don't know."_

"_Havoc Base, this is Bravo Three. We are taking heavy fire, and most of Bravo is incapacitated. We need QRF immediately!" _

_More gunshots. _

"_Oh fuck, I'm hit. Havoc Base, I don't think I'm going to make it. If this is the final message of Bravo, we would just like to say we love you to our families, and that we'll see y'all real soon. Hoo-yah." _

The silence that succeeded was deafening, louder than Eric had ever heard it. The news that they attempted to rescue each other shocked no one, because they truly were brothers till the end. Fleeting comfort was found at the fact that at least they welcomed death the same way they handled life: together. Awkwardly, quietly, the meeting finished, and Eric dreaded the coming days.

Xxxx

The families left behind concluded on holding one large memorial service, and then separate private funerals for their fallen. Eric was of course asked to speak at all events, and he accepted. The sea of expectant, grief-stricken faces forced words away, and in that moment, he was intensely aware of his grief.

"I have commanded many units, but none held a higher honor. The men of Bravo were the consummate Navy SEALS, dedicated to their country, their missions, and to each other. Even in the face of certain death, they tried to assist each other and fulfill the standard of preserving life wherever possible. They gave all they had, and made the ultimate sacrifice, not for the want of glory or honor, but because they wanted to ensure that their brother might live to see another day. Without them, the world is a bit darker, our laughter more bitter, and our lives more empty. They will be missed more dearly than they could ever know, but let us take comfort in the fact that they are not alone, but united in death, wherever they are now."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I asked, and y'all answered. Here's the second chapter. I don't feel totally confident in how this is written, so drop a review and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

A warm, soft breeze brushed against his face, drawing him to consciousness. Slowly, he opened his eyes into bright sunshine and a cloudless blue sky. A glance around presented an idyllic scene of towering pine trees, rushing river, soft green grass, and melodic birdsong. To complete the scene, the guys were all there too, brought to awareness at the same time as him.

As the boys came to the same conclusions as he, they burst into energetic greetings. Hugs, back-slaps, and loud chatter were exchanged by all. A grin stretched his face so wide he thought it might split, and joy like he'd never felt before radiated through him. Life couldn't get any better than this- his men together, safe and unharmed, on a beautiful summer's day.

"Man, this place is beautiful. Naima would love it here," Ray grinned.

"What is this place?" Clay questioned. "How did we get here?"

Jason shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Reckon I got an idea," Sonny announced. He had wandered over to a previously-unnoticed well, and was staring into the water inside.

"What're you thinking Sonny boy?" Ray asked, peering into the water in the well.

"We died," Clay concluded, glancing at Jason with wide eyes. "I remember now, we were on a mission in Afghanistan, and we got overrun. The last thing I remember is asking Sonny if any of us had survived."

"Kid's right, look," Sonny jerked his head towards the well.

Jason glanced inside, and was shocked by what he saw. Alpha Unit finding their bodies….Eric notifying Harrington...their families receiving the notification. _Naima nearly collapsed on the spot, screaming so loud people three towns over became concerned. Alana lividly cursed Jason out, before sinking to the ground in a puddle of tears. Emma fled the house, running away from their life with tears streaming down her face, while Mikey just sat dazedly staring at the wall. In an uncharacteristic fit of anger, Stella slammed her fist into the wall, before devolving into heartbroken sobs. _

Oddly enough, as much as the scenes displayed should have wrecked the guys emotionally, they all shared the same overwhelming peace. It roiled through them like the sea, stilling all waves of agony or anger or grief that tried to arise. They were all simply at peace, and nobody minded much. In this place, the problems of Earth mattered nothing; they knew everything would work out in the end.

The best was yet to come however, and the team all stood transfixed while the cake-eaters were debriefed on the order of events of their failed mission. Jason slapped Brock, Ray, Trent, and Sonny on the back of the head. They all yelped in surprise, but were without any actual pain.

"Y'all had the chance to get away, and you _didn't take it?!_" Jason questioned incredulously.

"What were we supposed to do Jason? Leave you guys behind?" Ray shot back.

"Yes!" Jason and Clay chorused.

"Well we didn't, so get over it. Wasn't no way I was walking the earth without you sons of bitches anyhow. That woulda damn near killed me, and I probably would've ate a bullet anyways. So come off it," Sonny stated firmly. The guys nodded in agreement; Jason and Clay let it drop.  
They all thought the place they were in must have contained some sort of magic, for never had they felt so free. Old faults, lost brothers, and failed missions didn't bother them anymore, and their bodies were absent of physical pain. They were all simply happy, and with each other. This was the greatest kind of ending any of them could have asked for.


End file.
